By any other name

The word artist brings with it a ridiculous wash of connotations these days. Everyone has a vision of how an artist looks and acts and what it means to be a creator. To take on that default title, seems both limiting and incomplete – as though its bland vagueness could define the variety and scope of contemporary creators.

I am always seeking to find a context for my craft and envision my own definition of artistic and creative practice.

Through my recent painting and drawing, I increasingly see myself as an archeologist. Bent over the ground of my work, I am digging into my ideas and vision trying to uncover them from the soil of my id/soul. On one level I know and can theorize as to what I will find, but there is a more profound element of discovery within each movement and notion. This idea of archeology carries throughout my work, from the catalog like numbering in my titles to the classifying and connecting of structures within the drawing itself.

This way of imagining a role through which your process forms is a fun exercise to alter and expand your thinking about your practice. I think all creators can benefit from reexamining how he or she contextualizes how they work.